I'm trying to evaluate various brands of aluminum GN trailers, focusing on Mission (Elevation), InTech, Rover, and maybe ATC, all of which seem to be difficult to find and are all special orders. I have not been able to see any of these brands in a GN in person (Seattle, PNW areas, but will travel). I'm hoping that someone may own one of these and could comment of pros/cons and the typical stuff like built quality, weld quality, cost/benefit, issues/failures, etc. Does InTech or ATC even make a side ramp door model (I haven't found)? My purpose is all-season recreation, sleds, ATVs, camping. I have a Logan Coach 21' bumper pull now and need a bigger trailer (like 26-28' box, 4 sleds, 2 ATVs). That Logan is 6200 pounds dry (wow), but a very good trailer. I need a lighter yet larger trailer, so considering aluminum makes.
Anyone have experience with Mission, InTech, Rover, or ATC GN sled trailers?
- Thread starter krcox
- Start date
Had a Mission years ago. Very poor quality.
Just got done with this same battle. I ended up with a mission 36 foot GN. Dry weight 5500lbs, CCC 8500 lbs. Issues I had were problems with the gfi circuits, radio and speaker system, axles misaligned, and a few smaller items. Alcom in Bonner, MT fixed them free of charge in a week. Luckily for me im only an hour away, and they made the process very easy.
Hauls 4 sleds. Fits my Jeep gladiator with a lift on 37's. Comfy to camp in, spent 20+ days in it over hunting season. Hot dogger is badass. Rv Furnace works very well also. Has very nice flooring, cabinets, and hooks.
It doesnt feel as stout as my Logan did before this, but it seems well built. Also its not as tall inside, which translates to less drag going down the road, and has a small wheel well inside.
I think thats the highlights for now.
Hauls 4 sleds. Fits my Jeep gladiator with a lift on 37's. Comfy to camp in, spent 20+ days in it over hunting season. Hot dogger is badass. Rv Furnace works very well also. Has very nice flooring, cabinets, and hooks.
It doesnt feel as stout as my Logan did before this, but it seems well built. Also its not as tall inside, which translates to less drag going down the road, and has a small wheel well inside.
I think thats the highlights for now.
I’m a huge fan of ATC and intech. I’ve had four ATC trailers - still own two of them. One is a 26’ bumper pull snowmobile trailer and a 48’ GN car trailer. The build quality is great, they pull great, they look great. Aluminum trailer are the only way to go.
We have a mission elevation 38 foot GN. It's good overall and does what we need and mostly what we want. GFI won't allow ford truck generator to power electrical (other than heaters - not on GFI) is our current biggest problem. Honda generator and any electrical plug-in works great so may be more of a Ford compatibility issue.
Had some major ducting issues with stock factory design that has had to be redone on both trailers. Yes, we are on our second trailer because the first one was totaled when someone drove into it while parked at 5 months of life on the first trailer. It became a dealer relationship deal on the second as we were not enamored with the trailer. Would buy Logan Coach if were to do it over again. Still a good trailer and we get 6 long tracks in there with minimal work. Have had quality issues - screws falling out of the celing, speaker falling off the wall, radio falling off it's mount, etc. Dealer has been good but wouldn't expect these things from a trailer with only 5500 miles towed (1250 miles per trip and 99% highway). Our second iteration of the same trailer we knew what to fix before it left the dealer lot and are going on 16 months ownership with second trailer. Good luck!
Had some major ducting issues with stock factory design that has had to be redone on both trailers. Yes, we are on our second trailer because the first one was totaled when someone drove into it while parked at 5 months of life on the first trailer. It became a dealer relationship deal on the second as we were not enamored with the trailer. Would buy Logan Coach if were to do it over again. Still a good trailer and we get 6 long tracks in there with minimal work. Have had quality issues - screws falling out of the celing, speaker falling off the wall, radio falling off it's mount, etc. Dealer has been good but wouldn't expect these things from a trailer with only 5500 miles towed (1250 miles per trip and 99% highway). Our second iteration of the same trailer we knew what to fix before it left the dealer lot and are going on 16 months ownership with second trailer. Good luck!
I can ofter info about my 2020 Logan for others interested in Logan Coach.
Negatives:
1) Exterior bolts and screws - They seem to have used a random mix of stainless and non-stainless screws and bolts. Some are fully rusted and some are pristine. I have been systematically replacing the rusty ones to keep the trailer looking nice. This is for all external locations of the trailer, very odd.
2) Gaps in 3M taped external panels - There is one place where the tape seal of about a 4 foot section of exterior aluminum siding is not adhering. Plus one other 2foots section. I am simply resealing with an adhesive black caulk to keep water out. This issue is of course non-structural, just tape seal. I used this 3M tape to mount solar panels on the roof (with caulk) as I didn't want any holes. They are still solid after 4 years.
3) Interior rivets - About 15% of the interior rivets that hold in the aluminum siding on are either very loose or have fallen out. I continue to inspect and replace rivets, seems like constantly.
4) Hydraulic jack - I have the Equalizer Systems hydraulic jack. What a piece of crap - honestly. The internal values are leaking, but just a tiny bit externally. It has trouble going up/down the full length of the jack. It screams when operated, not just normal hydraulic sound. It does not hold the weight of the trailer without slowing sinking down (the value leak) and clunks every few minutes as it settles. I put a jack stand under the front frame to stop the wife from bi*chin. Grrr.
5) Door springs - The on-axle door spring style is just garbage. It works for about a year then they start giving up and not assisting as much. The door gets heavier and heavier. One after another start to snap/break in the winding and the door gets yet again heavier to the point it's a workout squat lift. I replaced a few, failures continued. Front angle door, 4 broke, back door 5 broke. I removed them all and bought the cable garage door systems for both doors. Bliss! No failures yet after 1.5 years. I operate both doors up and down with a finger tip. I can close the door without holding back on the slam because the cable pulls less at the end of the spring winding and the air in the trailer provide a little pressure to cushion the close. Bliss. Freakin' doors man... I never want those axle mounted spring again.
6) Had to re-glue most of the ramp door seals back in place as they slowed peeled and fell off. I actually used shoe goo glue for rubber, worked great, no more failures after 2 years.
7) The wood shelving vertical ends where the subwoofer and radios are installed are cracking. I've glued and reinforced them plus new screw holes. Small issue, but lame.
I'll add "Positives" next post, gotta run now.
Negatives:
1) Exterior bolts and screws - They seem to have used a random mix of stainless and non-stainless screws and bolts. Some are fully rusted and some are pristine. I have been systematically replacing the rusty ones to keep the trailer looking nice. This is for all external locations of the trailer, very odd.
2) Gaps in 3M taped external panels - There is one place where the tape seal of about a 4 foot section of exterior aluminum siding is not adhering. Plus one other 2foots section. I am simply resealing with an adhesive black caulk to keep water out. This issue is of course non-structural, just tape seal. I used this 3M tape to mount solar panels on the roof (with caulk) as I didn't want any holes. They are still solid after 4 years.
3) Interior rivets - About 15% of the interior rivets that hold in the aluminum siding on are either very loose or have fallen out. I continue to inspect and replace rivets, seems like constantly.
4) Hydraulic jack - I have the Equalizer Systems hydraulic jack. What a piece of crap - honestly. The internal values are leaking, but just a tiny bit externally. It has trouble going up/down the full length of the jack. It screams when operated, not just normal hydraulic sound. It does not hold the weight of the trailer without slowing sinking down (the value leak) and clunks every few minutes as it settles. I put a jack stand under the front frame to stop the wife from bi*chin. Grrr.
5) Door springs - The on-axle door spring style is just garbage. It works for about a year then they start giving up and not assisting as much. The door gets heavier and heavier. One after another start to snap/break in the winding and the door gets yet again heavier to the point it's a workout squat lift. I replaced a few, failures continued. Front angle door, 4 broke, back door 5 broke. I removed them all and bought the cable garage door systems for both doors. Bliss! No failures yet after 1.5 years. I operate both doors up and down with a finger tip. I can close the door without holding back on the slam because the cable pulls less at the end of the spring winding and the air in the trailer provide a little pressure to cushion the close. Bliss. Freakin' doors man... I never want those axle mounted spring again.
6) Had to re-glue most of the ramp door seals back in place as they slowed peeled and fell off. I actually used shoe goo glue for rubber, worked great, no more failures after 2 years.
7) The wood shelving vertical ends where the subwoofer and radios are installed are cracking. I've glued and reinforced them plus new screw holes. Small issue, but lame.
I'll add "Positives" next post, gotta run now.
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Seems like quality control on a $65k+ trailer should be better. krcox who posted above - guessing you are on season number 5? Ours has been a storage queen until now. It's been outside for more than a week now and it has snowed 35+ inches in Island Park since we left 10 days ago. Friend is cleaning off the roof tonight but will be interesting to see how it does.
I suppose all first world problems - maybe the cheap trailer that's durable with very little to break is way to go. Wife wanted the fancy trailer anyway.... Haha.
I suppose all first world problems - maybe the cheap trailer that's durable with very little to break is way to go. Wife wanted the fancy trailer anyway.... Haha.
My modifications:
Floor tie down rings, having just wall track is not sufficient
Solar panels with solar charger with Lithium batteries (I need a new lithium compatible battery charger in the panel)
Wired for 120V AC with breakers+outlets, transfer switch for AC plug in
Pure sine wave inverter (for microwave), stock modified wave inverter won't run the nuke properly.
Tankless water heater
Water pumps, plumbing, sink, outdoor shower for boon-docking. We rarely stay in real campground when trailering.
Stabiler rear jacks
Window shades
Under cabinet/shelf lights
Removable base cabinets mounted to wall tracks. (summer camping)
Small fold down wall mounted tables.
Wall mounted junk trays
Queen mattress mounted/flushed to the ceiling. dropped for use
Biggest desire - Black tank, but trailer is too small for that. So we use porta-potty, Grrr
Positives:
1) As you can tell from my negatives list, there are no structural issues, no roof leaks, no flooring issues. Nothing structurally has failed. The issues all had fairly easy solutions, but took time and money and call out the need for yearly maintenance. All in all I'm very happy with the trailer. I have even hauled cars in it with no issues. The hydraulic jack is the most expensive bummer. It's even expensive to fix. Replacing with an electric jack.
2) The Vortex floor spray in liner (similar to Line-X for those who have never heard of it before - like me). I run mountain sleds with carbides. I've run sleds through the trailer now probably around 100 times. The floor is holding up well. There are no big gouges, no peeling, and the carbide marks are minimal. No apparent water damage. The ramps have the Caliber ski guides/track (very good), but you need to watch for screws popping out (only about 6 so far). I will do Vortex again - I prefer the nice flat floor for summer and cargo. The Vortex is sprayed up the wall to the tie down track (+1). Easy to pressure wash clean.
3) Towing stability - excellent. I've towed in fairly windy conditions (I-90 middle Washington, I'm from Woodinville). Moderate off-road towing for camping. The torsion axles (7K) are a quite bouncy so everything needs to be tied down, but otherwise no issues. A shock dampener would help. I have not found any frame/weld cracks.
4) Trailer height - The Logan is one of the highest off the ground trailers. I love it. Lots of clearance for snow berms and off-road angles.
5) Rust - seems to be at a minimum compared to past trailers I've owned. However, there is some under body rust, I plan to treat some next summer and probably under coat for posterity
Next trailer I will undercoat immediately. The trailer did/does have some under coating, but some areas have peeled off as it takes a beating.
6) All the other parts of the trailer are generally good. Heater, windows, doors, latches, tie downs, vents, wall hooks, cabinets/shelf, lights, switches etc. No complaints. My yearly tailer usage is roughly: 4-5 summer camping trips with RZRs, 7-10 sleds trips or more if late season snow.
Also, neither positive nor negatives, but a design consideration about the boot/glove box dryer. When on a multi-day trip I only want to run the big heater after the ride for a few hours to defrost the sleds and dry hanging jackets, but drying boots and gloves takes way longer, like overnight. Once the thermostat for the big heater reaches the set temp, it turns off, drying effectively stops. So combining boot/glove drying with the main heater is worthless, our stuff never gets fully dry. We end up using AC power boot/glove dryers in a hotel room or have to find an AC plug-in. All manufacturers seem to integrate the heater and drying this way, which doesn't work for us. The solution only works for morning "warming". The drying boxes/cabinets need to have a dedicated very small heater to run constantly and independent of the main heater all night (or just warm the items without warming the whole trailer). Our boot/glove dryer box is nothing more than a storage bin at this point. I'll be working on a new solution for drying. I'm thinking similar to the "PEET Dryer Propane Boot Dryer", but mounted in a box.
Floor tie down rings, having just wall track is not sufficient
Solar panels with solar charger with Lithium batteries (I need a new lithium compatible battery charger in the panel)
Wired for 120V AC with breakers+outlets, transfer switch for AC plug in
Pure sine wave inverter (for microwave), stock modified wave inverter won't run the nuke properly.
Tankless water heater
Water pumps, plumbing, sink, outdoor shower for boon-docking. We rarely stay in real campground when trailering.
Stabiler rear jacks
Window shades
Under cabinet/shelf lights
Removable base cabinets mounted to wall tracks. (summer camping)
Small fold down wall mounted tables.
Wall mounted junk trays
Queen mattress mounted/flushed to the ceiling. dropped for use
Biggest desire - Black tank, but trailer is too small for that. So we use porta-potty, Grrr
Positives:
1) As you can tell from my negatives list, there are no structural issues, no roof leaks, no flooring issues. Nothing structurally has failed. The issues all had fairly easy solutions, but took time and money and call out the need for yearly maintenance. All in all I'm very happy with the trailer. I have even hauled cars in it with no issues. The hydraulic jack is the most expensive bummer. It's even expensive to fix. Replacing with an electric jack.
2) The Vortex floor spray in liner (similar to Line-X for those who have never heard of it before - like me). I run mountain sleds with carbides. I've run sleds through the trailer now probably around 100 times. The floor is holding up well. There are no big gouges, no peeling, and the carbide marks are minimal. No apparent water damage. The ramps have the Caliber ski guides/track (very good), but you need to watch for screws popping out (only about 6 so far). I will do Vortex again - I prefer the nice flat floor for summer and cargo. The Vortex is sprayed up the wall to the tie down track (+1). Easy to pressure wash clean.
3) Towing stability - excellent. I've towed in fairly windy conditions (I-90 middle Washington, I'm from Woodinville). Moderate off-road towing for camping. The torsion axles (7K) are a quite bouncy so everything needs to be tied down, but otherwise no issues. A shock dampener would help. I have not found any frame/weld cracks.
4) Trailer height - The Logan is one of the highest off the ground trailers. I love it. Lots of clearance for snow berms and off-road angles.
5) Rust - seems to be at a minimum compared to past trailers I've owned. However, there is some under body rust, I plan to treat some next summer and probably under coat for posterity
Next trailer I will undercoat immediately. The trailer did/does have some under coating, but some areas have peeled off as it takes a beating.6) All the other parts of the trailer are generally good. Heater, windows, doors, latches, tie downs, vents, wall hooks, cabinets/shelf, lights, switches etc. No complaints. My yearly tailer usage is roughly: 4-5 summer camping trips with RZRs, 7-10 sleds trips or more if late season snow.
Also, neither positive nor negatives, but a design consideration about the boot/glove box dryer. When on a multi-day trip I only want to run the big heater after the ride for a few hours to defrost the sleds and dry hanging jackets, but drying boots and gloves takes way longer, like overnight. Once the thermostat for the big heater reaches the set temp, it turns off, drying effectively stops. So combining boot/glove drying with the main heater is worthless, our stuff never gets fully dry. We end up using AC power boot/glove dryers in a hotel room or have to find an AC plug-in. All manufacturers seem to integrate the heater and drying this way, which doesn't work for us. The solution only works for morning "warming". The drying boxes/cabinets need to have a dedicated very small heater to run constantly and independent of the main heater all night (or just warm the items without warming the whole trailer). Our boot/glove dryer box is nothing more than a storage bin at this point. I'll be working on a new solution for drying. I'm thinking similar to the "PEET Dryer Propane Boot Dryer", but mounted in a box.
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The main furnace thats ducted into the drying compartments on my 33’ logan runs constantly at night to maintain temp when its cold out at night. But we stay in it so need the heat all night. Main Furnace really has a hard time with the size of the trailer when 15 or colder and at night, and dont like running the hot dawg at night but that thing cranks heat when needed. It takes ac power and is LOUD. I get if you don’t want to burn that much propane heating the whole thing all night. Have you ever tried leaving just the blower fan on? Im planning a trip where I won’t be staying in it and would prefer to not heat it all night or have to drag my gear inside with me each night.
Sounds like you got a lemon of a jack. I had the dual legs on my last one and they worked good.
The xantrex inverter they put in mine also runs a microwave. I don’t do it often because it uses a ton of juice. Mine is a Panasonic inverter and i turn its power level down.
Also on batterys mine has the lithium lion energy batteries and the heaters never worked so the batteries wouldn’t charge when cold. Found that out in the mountains. Had to go to hardware store and get heat tape for pipes and some insulation wrap to get by. Called lion energy to troubleshoot and they were helpful and said sounds like heaters are just doa from start and sent me new ones.
Hope I don’t have the issues with springs you do. Only had last one for a year(it was year old when I got it) and just got this one. But if it starts I will do what you did, thats a good idea.
Sorry to kinda derail the OP post. Logans are built super heavy. Good for being solid but bad if you want lite. I have seen atc car trailers and they seem super nice and I think they will build what ever you want. If $ wasn’t an object for me I would have looked into them.
Sounds like you got a lemon of a jack. I had the dual legs on my last one and they worked good.
The xantrex inverter they put in mine also runs a microwave. I don’t do it often because it uses a ton of juice. Mine is a Panasonic inverter and i turn its power level down.
Also on batterys mine has the lithium lion energy batteries and the heaters never worked so the batteries wouldn’t charge when cold. Found that out in the mountains. Had to go to hardware store and get heat tape for pipes and some insulation wrap to get by. Called lion energy to troubleshoot and they were helpful and said sounds like heaters are just doa from start and sent me new ones.
Hope I don’t have the issues with springs you do. Only had last one for a year(it was year old when I got it) and just got this one. But if it starts I will do what you did, thats a good idea.
Sorry to kinda derail the OP post. Logans are built super heavy. Good for being solid but bad if you want lite. I have seen atc car trailers and they seem super nice and I think they will build what ever you want. If $ wasn’t an object for me I would have looked into them.
If I run the heater all night on a cold night I can run through an entire propane tank. It doesn't run constantly but dang near (21 ft v-nose, I think my heater is the Suburban brand). I haven't try just running the fan for drying, I'll give it a whirl. And it's loud for sleeping.
Notes for the microwave: Toshiba 900W. I stopped using the Samlex 1000W modified sine wav inverter because it made the microwave sound horrible, very loud, choppy, and just wrong. I figured it would kill it. I started with lead acid batteries and an new pure sine wave Renogy 1000W inverter and was able to run the microwave no problem (full power). I switched to lithium batteries and that caused the inverter to go into overload and cut out (beep...). The lithium batteries can provide as much current as demanded and exceed the inverter. I upgraded to a 1500W inverter, seems good, but have only run it a couple times for <2 minutes.
For batteries: I've got the Chins off Amazon, the ones that should have integrated cell heaters. The description says that all solar charge power goes to the heater (not battery) when it's too cold. The BMS switches to charge mode once the internal temp is achieved from the heaters. (same as your I suspect) However, I have not been able to test this yet. Best to keep LiFePO4 batteries in the trailer versus outside mounted somewhere.
Yeah - money is an object... I don't really want to spent north of 60K, but I'll see what I can get. Going to start working on getting some quotes.
Notes for the microwave: Toshiba 900W. I stopped using the Samlex 1000W modified sine wav inverter because it made the microwave sound horrible, very loud, choppy, and just wrong. I figured it would kill it. I started with lead acid batteries and an new pure sine wave Renogy 1000W inverter and was able to run the microwave no problem (full power). I switched to lithium batteries and that caused the inverter to go into overload and cut out (beep...). The lithium batteries can provide as much current as demanded and exceed the inverter. I upgraded to a 1500W inverter, seems good, but have only run it a couple times for <2 minutes.
For batteries: I've got the Chins off Amazon, the ones that should have integrated cell heaters. The description says that all solar charge power goes to the heater (not battery) when it's too cold. The BMS switches to charge mode once the internal temp is achieved from the heaters. (same as your I suspect) However, I have not been able to test this yet. Best to keep LiFePO4 batteries in the trailer versus outside mounted somewhere.
Yeah - money is an object... I don't really want to spent north of 60K, but I'll see what I can get. Going to start working on getting some quotes.
Ok, good derail on Logan stuff.
Anyone, please offer insight regarding experiences with Mission, InTech, Rover, or ATC GN sled trailers. Thanks in advance.
SLDHVN said "mission 36 foot GN. Dry weight 5500lbs" - that sounds really good.
Does anyone else know their GN weights? Manufactures just don't seem to publish any weights.
Anyone, please offer insight regarding experiences with Mission, InTech, Rover, or ATC GN sled trailers. Thanks in advance.
SLDHVN said "mission 36 foot GN. Dry weight 5500lbs" - that sounds really good.
Does anyone else know their GN weights? Manufactures just don't seem to publish any weights.
Our 38 foot Mission Elevation with all the added features is at 6000 lbs but we added spray in insulation underneath, extra coat hooks, and we have to spare tires so all adds some weight. Definitely lighter than Logan, we will see how it does longer term as far as rust, etc. Durability is definitely in question as far as roof and walls as screws already falling out of the roof at 19 months ownership.
all of the other manufacturers that i considered for a similar trailer were considerably heavier and on the same total amount of axle, so your CCC was cut into by alot. rover, charmac, logan, trailswest....
published weights on a jeep gladiator are around 5500-6000lbs, so that was my main goal, to be able to haul the jeep in the summer and not be over weight
very curious about your floor insulation. did you have it professionally done? does it look terrible after a bit of time? was it worth it? cost?
Saw the ATCs in person for the first time at Haydays 2 years ago. They looked like a quality built unit. No personal experience outside of that with any of the aluminum GNs.
My 33’ logan with z bros package, solar and lithium batteries, full 30# tanks, empty 50gal tank. Loaded with enough misc stuff for couple guys to camp and cook, generator, 3 sleds and a roller tool chest full of tools weights 13180#. And I do mean full of tools, the chest and the tools probably weight more than a sled. Wish I would have weighed it empty. Guessing I have 2500# of stuff in it. Trailer weight rating of 18600 and sticker says load no more than 6586 in it so to me the math doesn’t really math. Either way heavy for an empty box with a heater and some aluminum benches and tables unloaded. So I get a big draw for someone to be looking at aluminum.
Cat scales have an app that is super easy and don’t even need to get outa the truck. Pay around 14$ and it sends the info to the app. Weight your rig, then drop trailer and weigh again.
